(2 articles) Scientists Discover That Metals Heal Themselves in 'Astonishing' Breakthrough | Bias in science: how to fight the good fight

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You Might Like � � � You Might Like � � � � � � � � � Don't like ads? Go ad-free with TradeBriefs Premium Scientists Discover That Metals Heal Themselves in 'Astonishing' Breakthrough    Scientists have observed metal “healing” itself for the first time, an unexpected discovery that challenges basic tenets of materials science and could pave the way toward more durable metal structures, reports a new study. The breakthrough was made at Sandia National Laboratories during an experiment that was initially focused on the growth of nanoscale fatigue cracks on metals, such as platinum. Researchers including Brad Boyce, a staff scientist at Sandia, watched the tiny cracks form and grow in the metal as expected, but were stunned to see the metal autonomously welding itself back together.   “Our goal was to observe the mechanistic processes associated with fatigue loading, in particular the phenomena of grain boundary migration,” said Boyce in an email to Motherboard. “So we weren’t exactly looking for the healing process in our first experiments. But after we saw it the first time, we did intentionally repeat the experiment to observe the healing process again.”     Continued here Bias in science: how to fight the good fight    Athene Donald recommends counteracting bias by leaving your comfort zone — perhaps by giving a presentation.Credit: Steven May/Alamy It is no secret that academic science is a highly competitive environment in which sometimes perverse incentives to publish research don’t always encourage collaboration and support. Such a setting might not lead to the best science, and it certainly does not create an atmosphere in which everyone thrives. Some people treat this system as the equivalent of a natural ecosystem, in which survival of the fittest might be the outcome. However, those who are ‘fittest’ might not be the best scientists, but those who best play the game of finding funding and publishing papers. Continued here

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